Naperville Area CHamber of Commerce Government Affairs Roundup

Do you know who you’re voting for? More importantly, do you know why you’re voting for that person? Will they represent your business and your goals for Naperville?

We know these are important questions in the coming weeks so we recently hosted a forum with every candidate for Naperville Mayor and Naperville City Council. However, we threw out the old rulebook and broke down what we wanted to accomplish.

We wanted to create an environment where real conversations could flourish, where business owners and Members could look candidates in the eye and hear answers to their most pressing questions. We know there is a tremendous amount of value in a more formal setting, but there are great groups in town that are producing those events and producing them very well.

So, our newly formed Business Works group created a speed networking event, where each candidate had five minutes at each table before they had to jump to the next group. It’s amazing what you can do in five minutes when you focus your message!

We’re very thankful for the candidates who took time out of their day to join us and talk with Members about the issues that matter most. We’re also thankful to all the participants who asked thoughtful questions and took the time to listen to the candidates. We received a lot of great feedback from both candidates and participants that really enjoyed the event.

If you weren’t able to attend, we have a great announcement for you! Naperville Community Television, NCTV17, was present on the day and recorded a session with each candidate. Meet the Candidates will give you the inside information on who’s running and what they stand for. We hope you’ll take the time to learn more about your neighbors seeking public office.

Around NapervilleDowntown Streetscape ImprovementsNaperville City Council approved a plan that could create a special service area to update some downtown streets. Some sidewalks could be widened, old water infrastructure improved, and a much needed refresh could be coming to much of Downtown Naperville.

SpringfieldGraduated Income TaxImplementing a graduated income tax was a key part of the Governor Pritzker’s campaign and the issue has heated up in Springfield. There still are not specifics on rates or increases. Meanwhile some lawmakers have signed on to a resolution which asks lawmakers to reduce the tax burden on businesses and residents.